The Characters

We intend to be consistent about posting daily on here, but have been working through the details of what exactly we're trying to do and how exactly we're going to do it.  So, in the interim between thinking and doing, here is a more involved introduction to our family.

In the beginning was Patrick.  Hopefully the way I see him and the way he sees himself will have something in common.   I hate to write things that he wouldn't agree with, but here I go.  I say he was in the beginning simply because he was born first; nearly two and a half years before the next member of our family.  He's an explorer.  He likes to figure new things out and experiment with old things in ways normal people don't think of.  He also likes to make everything he touches better.  Most of us like to think we are like this too, but Patrick really is.  In every job I've known him to have, in every assignment in church, with our physical surroundings, with our family, in his friendships, you name it... he is always looking for a way to improve them or, rather, to improve in them.  He likes movies, but doesn't like most movies.  I guess it's more like he likes the medium of film and what can be done with it and is generally disappointed with what most filmmakers produce.  He prefers the outdoors to the indoors.  He is intrigued by languages.  Patrick was born in Spokane, WA nearly three decades ago.  He was the first of six children (to which he attributes most of his gray hair).  He left home at the age of 19 to serve as a missionary in Paris.  He then studied film at BYU.

That's where I come in -the next character in our family's history.  My name's Lindsay.  Some call me Mama and others call me Lady, but you can call me Lindsay.  I am currently rediscovering myself.  The combination of moving to a city, being busy with studies, getting married, and turning my waking (and sometimes my sleeping) hours over to mothering, kind of took over what I used to be and I recently came to the realization that there were things that I used to care about that lost their place in my life.  I used to love to make music, read books, sing (uh... work) in the garden, climb trees, create sewing and paper things, and run.  I also used to be considerably more physically fit and very very shy.  Now I love to chase diapered kids around, laugh at funny faces and noises and messes, make good food (though it doesn't always happen), and teach the teenage girls at church.  I wish I was more physically fit and I'm happily not quite so shy.  Give me a little time and I think I'll be somewhere between what I used to be and what I am now, or maybe I'll just be a combination of the two.  I was born and raised in a tiny town near Ithaca, NY.  I am the oldest of four.  I left home for school in Utah at 18 and returned 5 years later with a husband and a child and a half.  

Patrick and I met at BYU.  We got married a short time later.  I was young and I'm sure most people thought I was crazy, but I was fairly certain at the time that I was making the right decision, so I went with it.  Now I feel like I couldn't have made a better choice.  Being poor married students was humbling and we learned invaluable lessons from it.  We also have plenty of humorous stories from that phase of our life.  Luckily, we had enough foresight to laugh then too.  Two years later, Nolan appeared in our lives.  We've been laughing ever since.

Nolan was a mild tempered baby who was quick to smile, had huge brown eyes, and slept through the night.  It was hard not to like him.  Now he's two and a half, talks non stop, is constantly coming up with dance moves, dangerous physical feats, and descriptions of his brother, who he generally adores.  His most recent description came out in a monologue uttered in the back seat of our car as we drove home the other day. 

"Awwww."

"Cute baby?"  Followed by silence, as if he's thinking about the answer.

Then, "Cute baby."  He says it like it's a scientific fact.

There's no doubt that this boy loves his brother, although he doesn't always enjoy sharing toys with him.  We're still trying to teach him to equate love with sharing.

Gerret is almost a year old.  He also has big brown eyes and a quick smile.  Having Gerret has helped me know for myself that people are born with personalities.  Yes, a lot of things develop as a result of environment and the nurturing care of parents, teachers, and friends (or sometimes the neglectful care of such folks), but I have no doubt that we come sprinkled with characteristics of our very own.  Gerret has a strong will.  He knows what he wants and has always made it apparent.  This, combined with a Go-Getter attitude, makes for a quick paced, adventurous baby, who is constantly passing the next developmental milestone.  He keeps me on my toes.

That's all I have to say about us right now.  Here is a picture of our family taken July 2008.